The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-12-29
..Willian HinrY. y

brighten with the light of remem.
brance, and he extended his hand to
give Sans friendly shake.
"Yes," he said, II does riclec' that
trade now, an how got stuck in it.
But | bears no i'll will; a man mus
tax wat comes in hoss-swop 'thout
grumblin'."
Stuck repeated Sam, in amaze
ment.
YES, stranger, I was stuck bad,
that's sartin; but es / said afore, ]
bears no i'll will. Their ole crittur yer
got off onter me was orfully spawned
an wasn't no matter er count, nohow.
| got rid on i'm fur leetle er nothing:
tell yer fur fac, he wasn't wuth
more'n his hide w'uld fotch in the tan
yard"
"Spayinedr' said Sam: ''ef he was
spawned l never knowed it; an thet
hoss | got from you had glass eyes, es
| tole yer-they dropped right out'n
his head"
Yer don't say" calculated the
other, with q look of astonishment.
''Well, decla'r! ter think how long
| he'd thet hoss an never foun' that
out"
Didn't yer know he wus stone
bline?"
'Know it! why no, course I didn't;
wus alters far an squar' in my deal.
ms, an eff I'd knowed that hoss was
bline and he'd glass eyes-they wus
GURUS lookin' eyes, | ric'lec'-Td er
ruther cut my throat then er traded
'r,r T
SWARM man c'uld do leetle cussin
right now on count er ther feller wat
sole um ter me. But how did yer fin
it out, anyhow"
Sam then related his experience on
the race course, taking considerable
credit to himself, though he knew he
was entitled to none, and Larkins
laughed until the tears ran down his
brown cheeks.
"W'at dyer think of this here boss
Pm on now?" asked Larkins.
''Well, he looks like he mought be o
tolerable good crittur," said Sam, "but
he amt got but one eve."
"Ef l reflects right replied Lar
kins, ''but it's been so long thet mebbe
I've fergot-the hoss l got from you
didn't hev but one eye, an | kin tell
yer, thet wus his leastes's fault"
81 don't min thet so much," said
Sam, poking his switch close to the
horses eye and making him blink: "a
horse with one good eye is better'n a
hoss with two glass ones wat he can't
see out'n."
"Thet's so, fur a fac'," said Larkins,
an "this here hoss hes got good
eye, as yer kin see fur yersif."
"Will yer swap i'm fur this here
mule?' asked Sam.
Fat even?"
Eyes. Their mules got two good
eyes an thet oughter make it even"
"Yer think so? Lemme tell yer, /
have been a-lookin' ct thet mules eyes,
an she'll be stone bline in lessn three
ye'r-fur fac"
"How'd yer know that?"
''Thar's signs, yer see. You don't
know nothin' bout 'em, but l does,
es does every man wat hes he'd ter
do with hosses an mules es long es /
hes
Watts ther signsp"
"Well, I couldn't jis' tell yer. A
feller hes ter larn 'em by practeese, yer
see."
Sam sat silently contemplating the
black horse with a longing eye for
some time, then he said: "Since yer
won't swop even, tell me what yer will
do"
Larkins pushed his hat up and
scratched his head, while he appeared
to earnestly consider the matter.
"Tll tell yer what I'll do" he said,
slowly, after few minutes occupied
in this way: "Since we'se ole friends,
es yer mought say, an hes he'd deal
ms afore, Tll let yer heve this hoss fur
ther mule and twinty dollars"
"Twinty dollars!" exclaimed Sam.
s'Pears like yer wanter stick me agin. :"
"Stick yer! Why, shake alive,
man! 'twus me wus stuck in 'tother
trade"
Sam got down and examined the
horse, looking in his mouth, in his
one eye, sud giving his tail jerk,
seeming to fear that there might be
something deceptive in that beautiful
black appendage.
'Oh, he's all right" said Larkins;
"ain't no glass eyes nor nothin' Ell that
sort bout him."
"How ole is hep" asked Sam.
"Well, reckin he's somep'n over
ten y'r," was the reply. Il s'pose that
mule, now, amt less'n twenty. But
yer can't tell nothin' bout a mule-he
mought be ten ur he mought be hum
derd, and yer wouldn't know ther
dif'rence. A mules mule, an yer've
got ter take i'm onsight and onseen,
eff yer mought say"
ssTll tell yer what I'll do," said Sam;
"I'll give yer ther mule an $40, an
thet's far enough"
"Oh, come now," said Larkins, "yer
wanter stick me ag'in."
''Stick yerp"
'Terber sho' yer does. This here
hoss is wuth two sich mules es thet,
an yer knows it-fur yer amt no fool
when it comes ter tradin' hosses, |
knows thet. But, hows'ever, when I
begins trade l amt one ter be run
off by thrip ur a sevenpence, so I'll
tuck ther mule an $15 an ther boss is
your'n."
After little consideration, Sam,
taking the mans word for it, and be-
lieving he really had beat him in a
horse-trade before, slipped his hand
into his pocket and drew out roll of
bills, which he counted over.
Thar amt but $14 hyer," he said,
San thet's ali I've got"
'Oh, WELL" said Larkins, ''as 1 said
afore, amt one ter be run off'n a
trade by a thrip ur sevenpence, an
l amt a-goin' ter stan on doller
nuther-so it's trade" and dismount-
ing he took the saddle off the horse
and laid it on the ground.
The change of saddles and brides
was soon made, and Sam handed the
money over to Larkins, who showed it
into his pocket without counting it,
when the two rode off in different di-
rections, Larkins looking over his
shoulder when he had gone little
way to call out: ''1'm afraid you've
done stick me again, an this here
tradin' sperrit is a-goin' ter ruin me
yet, but l can't help it"